In the prior art, party food plates have generally flat bottom surfaces; and the upper side of such a plate defines at least one shallow depression for holding edibles. Often the shallow depression is subdivided by one or more ridges, creating individual compartments.
Once a partygoer fills his plate, he usually proceeds to get a beverage, typically served in a glass or disposable cup. The user finds himself juggling the plate in one hand and the cup in the other, unable to pick up additional items or to eat. He must first find a place to set down either the plate or the cup or both; but, at many parties, guests end up standing and holding both items for extended periods of time.
The object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held article for use by individual partygoers and the like which includes, in one unit, a beverage holder and a tray defining a plurality of compartments for serving a variety of foodstuffs.
It is a further object that the article according to the present invention be well balanced and easily held with one hand.
A still further object is to provide such an article which is stable when set upright on a horizontal surface.
A still further object is to provide such an article which is stackable so that multiple units of it can be readily packaged and transported.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an article having a tray and beverage holder which are integrally molded to form a single, one piece unit. Alternately, the article is formed by pressing it from a thin sheet of aluminum or other malleable material.
Centrally disposed and surrounded by the tray is an elongated, open compartment which forms the beverage holder. In the preferred embodiment, the beverage holder extends downwardly of the tray a substantial distance and serves as a handle with which to grasp the article. A wide, flat surface on the bottom of the beverage holder enables the article to be set upright on a table or other horizontal surface, with the tray held in an approximately level position. The open compartment in the beverage holder is sized to accommodate standard metal beverage cans and standard size disposable drinking cups. Alternately, a consumer can drink a beverage directly from the holder with the use of a straw. For the latter purpose, the holder is preferably equipped with a snap-on lid.
So that two or more articles according to the present invention can be stacked one within the other, both the elongated, open compartment and the outer side wall of the beverage holder, below the tray, taper downwardly and inwardly, generally resembling an imaginary truncated cone.
Within the tray itself is situated a plurality of watertight, shallow, open compartments, separated from each other by at least one dividing wall. Preferably, distal ends of the dividing wall link an outer wall of the tray with the side wall of the beverage holder. To keep the center of gravity of the article at a point within the confines of the beverage holder so that the article, when loaded with food, is stable in its upright position, the shallow, open compartments are disposed in such a way that the footprint of the tray exhibits at least bilateral symmetry about the longitudinal centerline of the beverage holder. Moreover, when the beverage holder is filled with liquid or, alternately, a canned beverage is held therein, the stability of the article is enhanced.